Differences between Asp.net and Asp.net Core

ASP.NET and ASP.NET Core are both frameworks for building web applications and services, but they have several key differences. Here are the main distinctions between the two:

1. Cross-Platform Support

• ASP.NET: Primarily designed to run on Windows. It can run on Windows Server and Internet Information Services (IIS).

• ASP.NET Core: Cross-platform, running on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It supports different web servers like Kestrel and IIS and can run in containers and cloud environments.

2. Performance

• ASP.NET: Performance is good but not as optimized as ASP.NET Core.

• ASP.NET Core: Highly optimized for performance. It is known for its high throughput and low latency, making it one of the fastest web frameworks available.

3. Modularity

• ASP.NET: Monolithic framework, where many libraries and features are built-in and used by default.

• ASP.NET Core: Modular framework, allowing developers to include only the libraries and features they need. This results in a smaller application footprint and better performance.

4. Unified Framework

• ASP.NET: Separate frameworks for different tasks (e.g., ASP.NET MVC for web applications, ASP.NET Web API for building APIs).

• ASP.NET Core: Unified framework combining MVC, Web API, and Razor Pages into a single programming model, simplifying development.

5. Dependency Injection

• ASP.NET: Limited and less flexible support for dependency injection, often requiring third-party libraries.

• ASP.NET Core: Built-in support for dependency injection, making it easier to manage dependencies and promote better software design practices.

6. Configuration and Logging

• ASP.NET: Configuration is usually done via web.config files, and logging support is more basic.

• ASP.NET Core: Uses a more flexible configuration system that supports various sources (e.g., JSON files, environment variables). It also includes a robust logging framework out of the box.

7. Razor Pages

• ASP.NET: Does not have a direct equivalent to Razor Pages.

• ASP.NET Core: Introduces Razor Pages, a page-based programming model that simplifies the development of page-centric web applications.

8. Blazor

• ASP.NET: Does not support Blazor.

• ASP.NET Core: Includes Blazor, a framework for building interactive web UIs with C#. Blazor WebAssembly runs in the browser, while Blazor Server runs on the server.

9. Open Source and Community

• ASP.NET: Developed as a closed-source framework initially, with some components later open-sourced.

• ASP.NET Core: Fully open-source from the start, with active contributions from the developer community, ensuring continuous improvement and innovation.

10. Hosting and Deployment

• ASP.NET: Typically hosted on IIS on Windows Server.

• ASP.NET Core: More flexible hosting options, including IIS, Kestrel, Nginx, Apache, and can be hosted in various environments like Docker containers and cloud services (e.g., Azure, AWS).

11. Cross-Platform Support

• ASP.NET: Primarily developed using Visual Studio on Windows.

• ASP.NET Core: Supports development with Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code, and the .NET CLI across all supported platforms (Windows, macOS, Linux).